Entries in Retro
(23)

A new keyboard was sorely needed on our end of things, and only one had the kind retro aesthetic that would make it right at home in my space-limited, retro-saturated studio; the Hyper Clack Mechanical Keyboard from Hyperkin! We set to work with it for a solid month for scripts, reviews, editing and gaming top see what's up (and we're still using it!) Just how does it stack up?

intendo's Classics line has been nothing short of a success, even if that success only means that the limited stock that was initially released - and in some cases, already replenished with fresh units - have been quickly and completely sold out. At the very least, people are keenly and acutely aware of the SNES Classic and its infamously-under-produced-and-forthcoming-again predecessor, the NES Classic. However, people are already looking forward to theoretical successors, and the Nintendo 64 seems ripe for the Classics line treatment. After all, the N64 had a healthy fan-base and some notable games, but are these qualities really enough for it to actually make for a good “Classics” machine?

Well, no, not especially and there are quite a few factors that support this.

First, let's discuss the Nintendo 64 itself. The Nintendo 64 was launched in North America in 1996 to a voracious crowd that decimated its supply in the kind of way you'd expect of a Nintendo's launch; seemingly under-produced, rarely restocked... you know the drill. The system itself had four controller ports built in, relied on cartridges (with a woefully small capacity compared to CD ROMs) and other features like analogue controllers, expandable bits that increased the system's power and, of course, a decent selection of strong first party games over the course of its lifetime. So, all of the ingredients that would make a great classic mini system right—still no, and not all the nostalgia in the world could prove otherwise.

laying vintage Game Boy Games is the very essense of what portable gaming was in the 90's. But without complete command of the nuclear brightness of the Sun, it's kind of hard to do these days, especially with aging, degrading LCD screens on the older original units. Enter Hyperkin with the once-a-joke, now-a-sweet-piece SmartBoy that turns (almost) any USB-C smartphone into a classic Game Boy! How does it hold up? Let's take a look!

onic Mania is fast approaching, and while we don’t have our review ready just yet, we do have a few special looks at some choice cuts from the Blue Blur’s past that we think have influenced the direction seen in the new 2D throwback.

The next game up is one that gets a lot of praise despite being another obscure entry from the Hedgehog’s prime, as we sit down and play Sonic CD on the SEGA CD. Unlike Chaotix, this title has recently seen re-releases across a bevy of modern platforms, and it was in that re-release that Christian White got his start with the franchise under SEGA’s payroll as well.

Join Ser and George as they discuss whether or not this game deserves the distinction of being the best 16-bit Sonic title ever done in another new Play Play!

onic Mania is fast approaching, and while we don’t have our review ready just yet, we do have a few special looks at some choice cuts from the Blue Blur’s past that we think have influenced the direction seen in the new 2D throwback.

The first game in this little mini-series of ours is Knuckles’ Chaotix for the SEGA 32X. While this one is particularly obscure, it’s certainly notable for being the only 2D Sonic title that was developed for a 32-bit platform, as paltry as the 32X may seem to that distinction—and weirder enough, Sonic isn’t even playable in it.

Join Ser and George as they wax some nostalgia with equal parts trivia over may arguably be one of the most bright-ass games you’ll ever see in this latest Play Play!

ot that it's a bad thing, but retro styled games are practically everywhere now. Both visually and gameplay wise tons of products on the indie scene are embracing gaming's origins to varying degrees. Some are parodies like Super Meat Boy or Retro City Rampage, while a smaller batch are genuine attempts at capturing the actual feel these classics gave us in the very beginning. Shovel Knight is the latter.

While many games fall short of replicating the mediums glory days, Shovel Knight does the near impossible and surpasses it. If you've been looking for a new benchmark in retro gaming then the day has finally arrived. Shovel Knight is the real (old school) deal.

ore often than not, we see independent developers task themselves towards producing games that do nothing more than romanticize games of the past; only a handful of them introduce ideas that stand them tall above the rose-tinted masses one-dimensional nostalgia.

Therefore, it's quite a feat when you see something like Yacht Club Game's Shovel Knight excel by doing the exact opposite. The Blue Digger’s adventure passionately celebrates the giant melting pot of NES tributes that it is and manages to conjure the perfect storm of design that's fun for veterans and new comers alike in the process.

hanks to the work of one incredibly talented artist by the alias of bWWd and his team of contributors, all of the boys and girls who drove their parents crazy with their expensive fascination with Eternia can now rejoice; there’s a fucking He-Man and the Masters of the Universe beat’em up game—and it’s beautiful.

Toast takes the lead, as George joins in to wax nostalgia and marvel at one of the most impressive fan projects that we’ve discovered in the Del Quattro yet! You guys can tune in (and subscribe to us while you're at it) around Wednesday evening, January 15th, at 7:30 PM pacific time and join us in the chat as we lay down our lives for the power of Grey Skull!